Polling shows six out of 10 people in Tony Abbott’s seat of Warringah would vote against him. Picture: Gary Ramage

Politics

Union’s wrecking ball plan to oust Liberals from safe seats

by Matthew Benns

12th Dec 2018 4:12 AM
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Australia's most militant left-wing union is polling blue ribbon Liberal seats like Tony Abbott's electorate of Warringah to find weak spots where it can dump support for Labor candidates and instead back strong independents.

News Corp Australia can reveal the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union has polled voters in traditional Liberal seats in NSW, Queensland and Victoria as part of a wrecking ball plan to get anyone other than a Liberal into Parliament.

Union polling in former prime minister Mr Abbott's seat on the northern beaches has revealed six out of 10 people in his electorate would vote against him.

"We knew Abbott was on the nose but the result of the polling was pretty overwhelming - and much better than we expected," a senior CFMEU source told News Corp Australia.

The CFMEU has confirmed it would consider bankrolling an independent candidate.

"If it changes the numbers in the Parliament then that's the outcome we are after," the source said.

And that could happen with the blessing of Labor chiefs.

Independent Kerryn Phelps won former PM Malcolm Turnbull's seat of Wentworth with a campaign that was run by Darrin Barnett, a former staffer for Labor PM Julia Gillard.

The polling of 1045 Warringah residents found that on a two-party-preferred basis, 61 per cent would vote for an independent and 39 per cent would vote Liberal.